Methadone Treatment Benefits
People who are addicted to opiates such as heroin or prescription painkillers often wonder what type of treatment is actually going to be most suitable and helpful to them so that they can fully recover. Fortunately, methadone treatment is one of the most beneficial forms of medical intervention when it comes to effectively treating an opiate addiction. Not only does this method of treatment help to reduce criminal behavior and restore the user’s life to a more balanced and stable point, methadone can reduce the risk of relapse and minimize symptoms of withdrawal allowing the individual to become more focused on other elements of the recovery process.
Withdrawal Symptom Management
According to the CDC, methadone maintenance treatment will curb the cravings that a user has allowing him or her to focus on other elements of recovery. Methadone reduces symptoms of withdrawal which may otherwise be responsible for relapse later on. With the risk of relapse during opiate addiction treatment being higher than that of any other drug, any medication that can reduce that risk is a welcomed treatment for most patients. Without methadone, patients are more likely to relapse within the first few days or weeks of their recovery and with every case of relapse there is an increased risk of overdose.
Psychological Dependence Controlled
Methadone stops that patient from craving opiates and it restores balance into his or her psyche. This is one of the most important steps involved in effectively breaking the opiate addiction and without methadone, many patients find that it’s just too difficult to focus on anything but the cravings that they are regularly experiencing. When methadone is taken, the user will feel at ease, his or her mind will be focused and therapy, support and counseling becomes more effective.
Education
Methadone is not just handed to a patient. Users experience the benefit of receiving counseling and educational support that helps them to later make better choices that are more suitable for recovery. Often times, when a patient is given methadone as part of an opiate addiction treatment protocol, the family members are also provided with educational assistance to help them better understand the addiction and the recovery process. This helps family members to become more supportive and helpful to the patient while restoring or strengthening the relationships that may have been broken or bruised as a result of the opiate addiction.